Heating, welding, desurfacing, or cutting process and apparatus



Oct. 24, 1939. J BUCKNAM 2,177,275 HEATING, WELDING, DESURFAGTNG, 0R CUTTING PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed D80. 26, 1935 'INUT a? our uri INVENTOR.

JAMES -H. BUCKNAM ATTORNEY.

' cut is lost".

, Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES HEATING, WELDING,

DESURFACING, OR

\ CUTTING PROCESS AND'APPARATUS James H. Bucknam, Crantord, N. J., assignor to The Linde Air Products Company, a corporation of Ohio Application December 26, 1935, Serial No. 56,203

4 Claims.

' This invention relates to the art of heating,- welding, cutting; and desurfacing metals; and, more specifically, to an improved control system which is particularly adapted for use with I machines which utilize gaseous heating and oxi dizing agents for heating and welding, or for thermo-chemically cutting, or desurfacing ferrous metals, such as billets, plates and shapes of ferrous metal, and whichsystem also maybe l0 employed advantageously in conjunction with other'types of machines, such as those which utilize electrical heating means, e.' g., the electric are, for welding, heating, desurfacing, orcutting metals. Since this control system is especially useful with machines which employ a gaseous oxidizing jet as a. metal cutting or removing medium, its application to an oxy-fiame cutting machine is disclosed herein to illustrate the principles of this invention.

In the operation of oxy-acetylene cutting m'achines, for example, it is necessary to heat a zone of metal at the starting point to an ignition f temperature before applying the jet of cutting This cutting oxygen is controlled by I oxygen. a valve; and at the moment the latter is opened, it is desirable to close immediately the circuit of the motor which operates the mechanism thatfeeds the work or the blowplpe alongthe cutting line. Heretofore, these valve-opening and switch-closing operations have been performed manually by an operator who watches the preheating at the starting point. Because of his own misjudgment and other factors, the operator often performs these operations either too i soon ,or too late, which results in the waste of both time and material and produces an unsatisfactory cut. Furthermore, during "the cutting operation, the necessary preheat may suddenly fall or become insumcient, in which event the This wastes considerable oxygen because the operator usually does not shut oi the cutting oxygen or restore the preheating flame. immediately. Finally, there may be more or less delay in closing the cutting oxygen valve at the completion of a out, which also wastes oxygen as well as heating gas. Similar premature or; delayed closing and opening of valves and control switches often occur-in the starting and the stopping'of heating or heat-treating, welding, and desurfacing or metal-removing operations.

The main object of this invention is to elimi nate such waste and inefilciency in the operation.

- of heating-welding, desurfacing, and cutting 'machines; and in prior oxy-gas desurfacing and cutting processes and machines, for. example, to automatically control the metal-removing or cutting operation and the supply or stream of oxidizing gas independently of human judgment. More specifically, an object of this invention is 5 to provide a control system for metal removing or cutting machines which 5 l initiate the flow of cutting oxygen and start t feed mechanism at precisely the proper instant; and which shall instantly shut off the desurfacing or cutting oxygen and stop the feed mechanism, both when the preheat isinsuflicient during desurfacing or cutting, and when the surface removal or out has been completed. These and other objects and the novel features ot'the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing which discloses a typical embodiment of the invention for the purpose of illustrating the application of its novel principles but'no't to limit the scope of the invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a combined schematic and diagrammatic view of one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic view illustrating one way in which the control system may be used to operate a motor switch and the. cuttingoxygen valve of an oxy-gas cutting blowpipe. a

As shown, an apparatus embodying the ihvention may comprises, feed mechanism F driven by an electric motor M and capable of propelling a workpiece, such as a metal plate P, at'a uniform speed relatively to a stationary cutting, desurfacing, welding or heating tool such as an oxyacetylene cutting blowpipe B Obviously, the

tool or blowpipe and its accessories may be oxidizing or cutting Jet. The flow of the heating mixture and the cutting oxygen to the blowpipe nozzle N may be regulated by independently operable valves Vm and V0.

To start or initiate a cutting operation, for example, the valves Vm are opened and the plate P is first-,locally heated at the starting point S by applying the high-temperature heating flame thereto until a localized zone of metal is p eheated to an ignition temperaturawhereupo 55 the cutting. oxygen valve Vo is automatically slide thereon with a thumbscrew or device 3 for securing the sleeve in any desired posiopened to project an oxidizing jet against the highly heated zone and thus produce a out. At the same instant that the valve V0 is opened, the switch in the circuit that supplies electric current to the drive motor M is closed, and the cutting operation proceeds along the predetermined cutting line in a well known manner. When the cut is completed, or whenever the preheat in advance of the oxidizing jet is insufficient or falls below a predetermined limit, the valve V0 and the motor line switch are operated to shut off the cutting oxygen and to stop the feed mechanism. 'Heretofore, determining the proper moment for turning on the cutting oxygen, and starting the motor in operation have depended upon the attendants judgment; also,

entire cutting operation is automatically controlled by mechanism which includes a device, such as s photoelectric cell E, that is sensitive to radiant energy, e. g., light, emitted by the heated metal at the starting point and along the cutting line. This control system is so adjusted initially that it will automatically open the cutting oxygen valve Vo and'close the line switch of the motor M when a predeterminedv intensity of radiant energy is emitted by the heated zone;

and will automatically close the valve V0 and open the motor switch when the-emitted radiant energy falls below such predetermined intensity, or fails entirely as it does immediately after the out has been completed.

Referring again to the drawing and more particularly to Fig.1, the invention comprises a feed mechanism or conveyor F, preferably of the endless-chain or traveling-belt type, for moving a workpiece with respect to the heat-treating tool. The chain or belt H is mounted upon a pluraillirty a sheave i4, secured to one of the sprockets i2, and a pulley l5, forming part of t e transmission or speed-reducing gear I 3 of mot r M.- A governor I I, secured to the motor M ovides for the adjustment of the motor speed an consequently the rate of conveyor movement.

A heating tool B, herein disclosed as a cutting blowpipe. is mounted free for vertical movement with respect to the conveyor F so that the cutting nozzle N may be properly positioned with respect to a workpiece or plate P. The heating tool may .otherwise comprise a fuel gas blowpipe or arc welding tool to perform heat treating or welding operations. A collar II is secured to a supporting frame member 20 by a bracket". A rack 22 secured to the outer periphery of the blowpipe body extends longitudinally and meshes with a pinion extending through the sleeve II. The pinion is adjusted by means of a thumbwheel 23 and is normally rotatable within the sleeve II but may be locked with respect thereto in order to securely position the blowpipe B. I

A temperature indicator 24 is slidably mounted on a vertically disposed rod 2| secured to the supporting frame member 20 and is disposed in angular spaced relation to the blowpipe B. A

sleeve 33 surrounds the rod 2i and is adapted to I4 through wire 33. The lines 3| .and 32 are luminous area to the photocell.

An arm 40, swiveled near v perature indicator comprises means sensitive to 1 heat energy such as might/issue from-a spot on the plate P raised to a high temperature by .the

heating 12001 B. The temperature indicator prefk erably comprises a tube directed toward the heatedarea'with a lens 26 at its forward end for focusing an image of the incandescent heated area upon means sensitive to radiant energy. A radiation pyrometer may serve as the sensitive means in which case the lens may focus an image of the heated or incandescent area .asa hot, luminous spot upon the thermo-jcouple junction. The preferred temperature indicator. as shown in Fig. 1 comprises a light-conveyor tube 25 positioned so that the forward or tapered end is adjacent to and directed toward the incandescent area of the workpiece P. A lens 26 forms an image of the incandescent area upon a photocell Eat the upper end of the tube. If desired,ja

quartzrod extending within the" tube 25 may be employed for transmitting radiations from the A screen 21 is selectively positioned by a dial 28 to control the area of the photocell exposed to the incandescent source; and consequently the temperature of the source necessary to produce a predetermined, response of the cell.

Referring now more especially control system is shown applied to a conventional cutting blow-pipe having gas inlet nipples 29, and fuel-mixture adjusting valves Vm. The oxygen inlet duct 3| communicates with the euttingoxygen tube 32 when the valve V0 is open. A cutting-oxygen valve lever 33 is pivoted at its upper end in fixed relation to the blowpipe B, for example, to a post 34 secured to a bifurcation 33 on the blowpipe B. The opposite end of'the lever" 33 is pivotally connected to the core or armature 33 of a solenoid 31 supported with respect to the blowpipe B, as by means. of a mounting bracket 33.

The valve stem 33 having the valve head 4|- terminals of a thermionic amplifier A. The impulses are amplified by a series of tubes and are thenpassed from the output terminals through the solenoid coil'of a'sensitive current-relay 41 in series with a milliammeter 48, through wires 4 4!, II and .32. Therelay 41 is provided with'a contact member 53, and a contactor i4 pivotally mounted to the core member of the coil. A wire 33 extends from the contact member 53 to a to Fig. 2, the

terminal 53 of the solenoid 31, while wire 3'! extends from the other terminaliila of the solenoid 31 to the contact'member 43. A wire 33 connects wire 51 with one line 6! of a source of electric current as, for instance, volts of either direct or alternating current. The other line 82 of the source of electric current extends to the contact connected to the supply terminals of the amplifier A and furnish it with a' source of operating current. A wire 64 connects the line 62 with one of the terminal connections of the motor M, and

the remaining terminal connection is joined to the contact member 44 through wire 65.

- is then adjusted vertically with the thumbwheel 23'so that it is in correct position with respect to the workpiece. For the cutting blowpipe shown, this condition obtains when the discharge end of the nozzle N is directly, above the ferrous metal workpiece P at the starting point S, as shown in Fig. 1. The thumbwheel 23 is then looked to hold the blowpipe in fixed position. The temperature indicator 24 is then adjusted angularly by means of the swiveled arm 40 and vertically by moving the sleeve 30 upon the rod 2| until the indicator is focused upon a part of the area to be heated. The position of the screen 21 is next adjusted by means of the dial 28 which is preferably provided that the photocell E may be properly illuminated or energized at the desired temperature.

With the adjustments completed, the mixture of the preheating jetis correctly proportioned by means of the valves Vm, and the preheating mixture is ignited. When the temperature of the plate P- israised sufliciently, a portion or zone thereof becomes luminous or incandescent, and energy radiated from the area is conducted through the lens 26 to the photocell E. When the proper cutting temperature has been reached, the responses of the photocell E, fed to the amplifier and magnified thereby, are strong enough to energize the relay 4'! and cause the contactor 54 to engage contact 53. The solenoid 31 isthus connected with the source of electric current and becomes energized. The core 36 is thus drawn within the coil pulling the lever 33 away from the blowpipe B, opening the cutting in motion. It will thus be seen that when the photocell E receives sufficient excitation, the

cutting .oxygen valve V and the motor which drives the'feed mechanism are instantaneously and automatically operated, and the stream of oxygen is applied to the workpiece P at the exact moment that it is needed. In heat-treating operations, the responses from the photocell set and maintain the conveyor in motion thus moving the workpiece with respect to the heat source when the metal has reached the desired temperature. 4

As the stream of cutting oxygen is applied to the workpieceP, the'conveyor propels the workpiece past the blowpipe B. The. speed of "the.

motor M may be adjusted by means of the governor H, for example, so that the rate at which the 1 B, the metal would not be maintained at the ignition temperature by the preheating flames and the metal oxidizing reaction, and the cut would ordinarily be lost". At the very instant, however, that the cut would be "lost, the photocell focused on the heated area receives insufli-- cient radiation to keep the contacts closed and the valve V0 open. As a result the stream of cutting oxygen is immediately interrupted and the motor M stopped so that the workpiece P Y ceases to move with respect to the blowpipe until "In this way, the application of cutting oxygen is controlled by the radiant energy emission of the preheated area. so that the oxidizing jet is never delivered to the workpiece P until the tempe'rature has been raised to the ignition point, at which time the cutting operation progresses automatically. When theworkpiece P reaches the end of its travel and the out has been completed, there is no longer a heated area to ener gize the photocell E, whereupon the oxidizing jet is automatically shut off and the motor circuit is automatically opened to stop further travel of the conveyor F and the work P in response to the controlling effect of the photocell.

As previously stated, the principles of this invention are not limited to the particular apparatus or operation specifically disclosed herein, but such principles may be applied generally to automatically control machines employing heat ing and/or oxidizing agents for ferrous metal sever the same, whereas the desurfacing'jet removes metal from the surface of a billet or plate in desurfacing such metal bodies. Both jets are oxidizing jets and, before applying either of them to the metal body, the metal at the starting point should be heated to an ignition or kindling temperature and such temperature should be maintained at the point of impingement of the oxidizing jet during the entire operation. The velocity of the cutting oxygen jet is high-substantially above 1000 feet per second, and-it is usually applied almost perpendicularly to a surface of the metal body; whereas the velocity of' the desurfacing oxygen jet is considerably lower-preferably between 200 and 1000 feet per second, and it preferably is applied at an angle of 15-35 to the surface of the body to be desurfaced.

Various changes may be made in the details and adjustments of the mechanism disclosed herein without departing from the broad principles of this invention. For example, while the heating, welding. desurfacing, or cutting tool I is disclosed as a'single oxy-acetylene blowpipe, it will be obvious that a plurality of tools or oxyfuel gas blowpipes may be used together on the same workpiece and controlled according to this invention to perform a desiredv operation.

I claim: r

1. Process of heating, welding, desurfacing, or cutting a ferrous metal article along a predetermined line which comprises locally heating the metal article at the starting point of said line; 7

' initiating relative movement between said metal locally heated area photo-electrically in re-- sponse to a decrease to below such predeter-.

mined intensity of emitted radiant energy.

2.-A process of desurfacing or cutting successive portions of a ferrous metal body which comprises applying a source 01' heat to locally heat an area of said body at a starting point; initiat ing the flow of a jet of oxidizing gas against said sponse to a predetermined intensity oi. radiant energy emitted by said area; and simultaneously with the initiation of said flow, initiating movement of said body with respect to said source of heat and said -jet ofoxldizing gas.

3. Process of desurfacing or cutting 'a ferrous metal body which comprises applying a hightemperature flame to said body to heat the same to an ignition temperature; moving said flame and said body relatively to one another to heat successive portions of said body along a predetermined path; directing a stream of cutting oxygen onto such successively heated portions during such movement; stopping such movement and the flow of cutting oxygen photo-electrically when the temperature of the heated portlon falls substantially toa point at which ignition no longer continues; and starting such moveme t and the flow of cutting oxygen photoelectrica y when the temperature of the heated portion rises to such ignition point. i

4. Apparatus for desuri'acing or cutting aferrous metal body which comprises means for applyinga high-temperature flame to said body temperature; means for moving said flame; and

said body relatively to one another to heatsucto heat a localized area thereof to an ignition photo-electricallyactuated means for stopping such movement'and the flow of cutting oxygen when the temperature of a heated area falls sub- 20 stantially to a point at which ignition of the metal body no longer continues, and for starting such movementand the flow of cutting oxygen when the temperature of the heated area rises to such ignition point. 1

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